Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Imphal, June 19 : Asian Boxing Championship gold medallist Mayengbam Suranjoy Singh was accorded a warm welcome by the people of Manipur on his arrival at Imphal today. Suranjoy, who clinched the flyweight category (51 kg) gold medal at the Asian championship held at China's Zhuhai from June 7 till 13, arrived at Tulihal Airport at around 9.15 am from where he was accompanied by a large number of enthusiastic supporters to SAI SAG Centre, Khuman Lampak Sports Complex. At the felicitation programme hosted by SAI NERC, Imphal and attended by many SAI officials and sportspersons, Mayang Imphal Assembly Constituency MLA Dr Kh Ratankumar, who is also the chairman of MANIDCO, formally handed over a cash reward of Rs 50,000 in recognition of the 22 year old's accomplishment at the international arena. Later in the day, Suranjoy also attended another reception programme jointly organised by Mayang Imphal Khuman Youth Association and All Uchiwa Development Association at Uchiwa Pakhangb...

Imphal, June 19 : The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union has strongly condemned the threat issued to the media by an individual who identified himself as one Taiwan of PULF for not publishing a press release issued by an organisation which has never been heard of before. In a statement, the scribes' body said that Taiwan had called up a newspaper house and informed that a bomb has been lobbed at the office of The Sangai Express and further warned that such attack would be launched at other newspaper offices. Besides this another person who identified himself as one Khamba Luwang of the KCP also called up newspaper houses today morning and demanded to know why the statement was not published. AMWJU and Editors in a meeting discussed the issue at hand and appealed to the Government to ensure security so that the media persons can work freely without fear. An emergency meeting of editors and the All Manipur Working Journalists Union, AMWJU, held at the Sangai Express, condemne...

Imphal, June 19 : That medical science has gone a long way in ameliorating the suffering on mankind besides bringing a smile on the face of many has been proven in many cases and Manipur today has a couple who can be inlcuded in the list of those blessed by medical science. Yumnam Jakendra and his wife Niengboi Haokip were a heart broken couple after their first born daughter Y Mangalleima was killed in a militant ambush at Assam's Karbi Anglong district five years ago. What fate had cruelly robbed them, medical science has stepped in to apply the needed balm, courtesy a bonny test tube twin girls, the first test tube baby in the State, that too twins. Not surprisingly today they fit the bill of the happiest couple in the world. Not only have the twins come as a blessing for their parents, but it is also a testimony of the expertise of the team of doctors behind the babies. The two babies were born through the Invitro Fertilization Technology on Thursday at Suba Hospital and Assist...

Imphal, June 19 : Disapproving the move for transfer of the case related to the murder of Kasom Khullen SDO Dr Thingnam Kishan and his two staff��Y Token and A Rajen by NSCN (IM) men led by Lt Col Hopeson Ningshen from Manipur to Delhi, the JAC Against the Brutal Killing of Th Kishan, A Rajen and Y Token asserted that the conveniences of the parties and witnesses should be given foremost priority. The JAC, in a press release, pointed out that the crime took place in the State and that the victims, the culprits and witnesses are inhabitants of Manipur. The case should not be moved from Manipur to Delhi merely on the apprehension of the State DGP about ethnic clash between Meiteis and Nagas which is unfounded considering the spontaneous outcry made by every section of the society both in the hills and valley against the triple murder. The transfer of the case is to be moved by the parties only after the submission charge sheet by the investigating agency. In the present case, the investi...

The women in Manipur as in certain other parts of the country have been glorified and extolled as those occupying a high position in society, as a section of the community that has a voice that is heard and taken into account. In Manipur for instance, Meira Paibis amongst the Meiteis are given near sacred positions in the public sphere related to uprisings against excesses committed by state armed forces. The same goes for various other women groups in the hills. Khasi women in Meghalaya are portrayed as following matriarchy though it is only the matrilineal system that they follow: in terms of property rights. Here again, there is a wide gulf between what is perceived and what actually is. For instance, any property arrangements in terms of its sale, is not in the hands of the woman. Rather, it is only with the sanction of the maternal Uncle that decisions can be taken. The ‘Dorbar” which is the traditional decision making body of the Khasis do not allow the participation of women in ...

Imphal, June 19 : With no further reports of attacks on non-Manipuris, migrants workers in the state have started leaving the two relief camps since yesterday to resume work. An official source today said only 20 of them were left at the Kalibari relief camp and as many at the dharamshala one in Imphal city. “The migrants reported to police stations at their work sites. This is for their safety,” the official said. Prabhu Prasad, a cobbler from Bihar, was the last migrant to be attacked. On Monday night, an unidentified person hit him on the forehead at Lamphel in Imphal West district. Prasad said the man had hit him on the face with a stone while he was returning from work to his rented house in Lamphel, on the outskirts of Imphal town, around 7pm. The relief camps were opened after the attack on six migrants at the Central Agricultural University at Eroisemba in Imphal West on June 11 night. Two gunmen had called out six labourers, all from West Bengal, from their hut on the universi...

Imphal, June 19: Seram Ashalata, the woman who was arrested by the police for her alleged involvement in the murder of Yengkhom Krishnadas, has been further remanded to police custody for four days after being produced before the CJM, Imphal, BK Sharma, on Friday. She was produced before the court this afternoon around 2 pm. The court also directed the police to give medical treatment to the accused immediately in view of her health condition. The court also granted permission for the woman’s counsels, Ch Ratishor and Aheibam Kumarjit, to attend court during the course of her interrogation. According to sources from the court, the police pleaded with the court for remand of the accused in their custody for a longer period, but the plea was rejected and the remand granted for only four days. The accused is to be produced before the court on June 22 around 1 pm, said the sources. Seram Ashalata, 36, wife of Ramchandra of Tera Sayang Road was arrested on June 13 by the police for her alle...

IMPHAL : Tribals, young and old, in the remote villages of Old Lemta, Dunong and Makuinong in Manipur’s Tamenglong district bordering Nagaland have never seen electric light. Only the lucky few who visited Imphal or other towns in the country had seen this wonder. However, thanks to the Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency, a government undertaking, now the tribals have solar electricity. Solar lighting panels were installed at the personal initiative of N. Awangbow, MLA representing the remote and neglected villages. C. Kadijaiwi, chieftain of Old Lemta, said it would take not less than half a century for the Electricity Department to power the villages. There are no modern amenities available to the villagers and electricity is still a pipe dream. C. Hungamkhambou, chieftain of Dunong, said students had no light to study at night. A litre of kerosene costs Rs. 40 or more in the district. As poor villagers cannot afford to keep lamps, they have dinner before nightfall and go to...

NE in age of coalition politics: touchstone of Meghalaya The new council of ministers, with a predominance of Congress representatives, shows a fascinating compromise that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi as well as their chief aides, not least Rahul Gandhi, have manoeuvred. And nowhere is the delicate, difficult and thankless task of coalition building seen best as in the case of little Meghalaya where both members of parliament have found a place. The reason is not far to seek: it is an interesting reflection of the complex and inconsistent reality both of Indian politics as well as of the immense challenges that the Northeast presents to New Delhi. In one way it's simple: Purno Sangma's daughter, Agatha, won from the Tura constituency which was her father's fiefdom for 30 years. The youngest member of the Lok Sabha at 28, she defeated her nearest rival, Deborah Marak, by a bare 17,945 votes. It was clearly a close call and her opponent, a...

Dhaka, June 19 : Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday urged all to be aware of any movement against the Tipaimukh dam by a certain quarter to gain its political interest. Addressing the National Tipaimukh Dam Conference 2009 at the seminar hall of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh in the city, he said public opinions could be taken about implementation of the project. The finance minister also criticised the past BNP-Jamaat government as it did not protest against the Tipaimukh project though India had completed the detailed studies and design of the project and floated an international tender during their rule. Earlier on June 16, BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain called upon the countrymen to raise their voices against the government as it is mum about the Indian plan to build Tipaimukh dam. He said the caretaker government had helped advance Tipaimukh dam and Asian Highway projects, and the present government is now trying to help complete them. "We had been...

IMPHAL, June 19 : The 25 children "rescued" by Kolkata Police at the Howrah station on Wednesday were going to Andhra Pradesh for education with the consent of their parents and guardians, according to a police report. On Wednesday (June 17), the children hailing from the remote Kaibi village in Manipur's Senapati district, were found in an Andhra Pradesh-bound train at the station. However, police in Kolkata had said three "pastors" accompanying the kids, failed to produce the required documents. "According to a report submitted by one of the officers, who went to the village, the parents knew about their children's journey," said a senior police officer on Friday. "As of now, it appears that there is no foul play like trafficking. But things will be clearer when we quiz the pastors. We have also sent our report to the government," the police officer said. L S Salony, a member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), disclosed that the chil...

Imphal, June 19 : Despite the significant steps being undertaken for the protection of women's rights and promoting their welfare, the status of women in Manipur continues to remain backward, said an analysis of the State Economic Survey Report of the Manipur Government compiled by the State Directorate of Economic and Statistics. The survey report said the goal of poverty alleviation cannot be achieved without the full and active participation of women who constitute a large section of work force, is a well known fact. Thus, women empowerment is critical to the process of the development. So, bringing into the mainstream of development is a major concern of the Government, the report maintained. In order to empower women and bring them into mainstream, an enabling environment with requisite policies and programmes, institutional mechanisms at various levels and adequate financial resources have been created. With gradual spread of education and empowerment, the position of women h...

Imphal, June 19 : The one day public consultative programme to maintain peace and tranquillity in Ukhrul district organised by Tangkhul civil organisations at Rashing hall yesterday has resolved to demand immediate withdrawal of IRB and commandos from Ukhrul. A joint press release issued by Tangkhul Naga Long, Tangkhul Katamnao Shaklong, Tangkhul Mayar Ngala Long and Tangkhul Shannao Long asked as to what prompted the Government to deploy IRB and commandos in Ukhrul district when there is allegedly no law and order problem. The consultative meet demanded revocation of disturbed area status from Naga areas of Manipur and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act as well. It resolved to participate and support the vexed Indo-Naga peace process. The Tangkhul civil organisations also conveyed deep concern over the establishment of designated camps by the State Government harbouring thousands of Kuki armed cadres in Naga areas, particularly at strategic sites and national highways. After three ...

Patna, June 19 : Bihar CM Nitish Kumar today asked his Manipur counterpart Okram Ibobi Singh to effectively check attacks on migrant, particularly Bihari labourers, in the state. Kumar called up Singh this morning to register his "deep concern and anguish" over the recent attacks on labourers from Bihar and West Bengal by militants in Manipur and requested him to bring an end to it, a spokesman at the chief minister's office here said. Maintaining that the attacks were detrimental to the unity and integrity of the country, Kumar requested Singh to initiate steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Kumar also directed state's chief secretary RJM Pillai and director general of Police DN Gautam to depute a high-level officer to facilitate return of those Bihari labourers who intended to come back and co-ordinate with their Manipur counterparts measures to check violence against the migrant labourers from the state. Labourers from Bihar and West Bengal have of late b...

Dhaka, June 19 : Bangladesh's political parties continue to spar over a river valley project India is planning in its northeastern region as New Delhi awaits a parliamentary team accompanied by experts to visit the project site. Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith Friday urged "all to be aware" of any movement against the Tipaimukh dam project "by a certain quarter to gain its political interest," Star Online web site said. Muhith criticised the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for not protesting against the Indian plans although the latter had completed the design and detailed studies and floated an international tender during the BNP-Jamaat rule (2001-06). Addressing the "National Tipaimukh Dam Conference 2009", the finance minister, among the most experienced ministers in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, said public opinion could have been mobilised earlier. India is planning to build the dam over the Barak river in Manipur sta...

Imphal, June 18 : Thousands of people of different communities including Naga and Kuki, wearing traditional dresses of their respective communities, today paid floral tributes to those who died in the movement for protection of territorial integrity of Manipur of which day has been observed as "The Great June Uprising" and "Integrity Day". Eighteen people paid with their lives in indiscriminate firing by security personnel in the explosion of public outrage on the issue of Manipur's territorial integrity on June 18, 2001 after the ceasefire between the Centre and the NSCN-IM was extended "without territorial limits". The United Committee Manipur (UCM) has been observing the day as the "Great June Uprising" with a public meeting held at Kekrpupat where the memorial site of the 18 victims is located while the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) observed the day as "Unity Day" with another public meeting held at THAU gro...

New Delhi : N B Meetei, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) school of social sciences, misses his home in Manipur but he misses the food back home even more. "I am really bored of eating the south and north Indian fare at the hostels and dhabas day in and day out. I want to enjoy food, not just eat for survival,'' he says. Biting into a samosa at the library canteen, another social sciences student, Ati from Nagaland, can't keep the yearning out of her voice as she says: "My favourite is fish cooked with bamboo shoots, pork and rosep (bitter vegetables cooked with a lot of chillies and bamboo shoot juice). How I wish we got some north-eastern food in the hostel here.'' For Meetei and Ati, and hundreds of other north-eastern students at JNU, a taste of home is soon going to be a reality. Come Monday (June 22), JNU will start dishing out popular and authentic fare from the North-East at an all-new dhaba on the campus. The outlet is opening n...

New Delhi, June 18 : An 18-year-old Delhi University student was allegedly molested by her teacher at a tuition center in Mukherjee Nagar area of north-west Delhi on Thursday (June 18) afternoon. The accused has been arrested following a complaint from the girl. The victim is a first-year undergraduate student of a North Campus college and belongs to Manipur. Ironically, she used to go to the tuition centre in Vijay Nagar area to learn Hindi. Her efforts to improve her communication skills in the language that the city speaks brought her face to face with a harsh reality: she was allegedly sexually harassed by Yogesh Kumar Arora (32), who used to give her the lessons in Hindi. Police said the student had joined the coaching institute on June 10 this year. "Yogesh, one of the teachers at the institute, started making sexual advances towards her right from the beginning. This culminated in the incident on Thursday which finally drove her to the police,'' said a senior police...

IMPHAL, June 18: Police set about quizzing the parents and guardians of the 25 children "rescued" by police in Kolkata on Wednesday (June 17) to know whether they knew about the kids' journey and the escorts. Cops in West Bengal found the kids from Senapati district in an Andhra Pradesh-bound train at the Howarh station on Wednesday morning after the three "pastors", including a man called A Athikho, accompanying the children, failed to produce relevant papers. "Soon after we knew it from West Bengal cops, I sent the sub-divisional police officer to Kaibi village in Senapati district from which the children hail," said a senior police officer in Senapati district on Thursday. "He will find out whether their parents and guardians consented to their children's journey to Andhra Pradesh with the three persons. We will act only after we get a report from him," he added. L S Salony, a member of the district's Child Welfare Committee (CWC),...

New Delhi : Hopes, dreams, fears, worry and anxiety are common to all the applicants who queue up outside the colleges in the Delhi University. If in doubt, head to help desk But while for others, the concerns end after securing a seat, for some it is just the beginning. The latter are the students from the NorthEast. “Will the city, students and teachers accept us. Will be one of them?” – is a question that bothers them all along. A few such students shared their experiences with us and told us that the problem existed more outside the gates of the university, than inside. “It’s the city that’s hostile to us, not the university,” they echo. A stranger in the city ? The one question that troubles anyone who sets foot in the city for the first time is – Are DU students and teachers, NorthEast friendly? “Most of the applicants hear about certain racist attacks from their friends, cousins, neighbours, etc, much before they arrive. We try to show them the real picture by sharing our experi...

Imphal, June 17 : Agatha Sangma, Union minister of states for Rural Development Wednesday assured the people of Manipur she would approach the Union Home minister of India for repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, AFSPA, 1958 from the state. She also asserted she would bring the issue on the floor of the Parliament. On a two-day visit to the state for the closing ceremony of the 11th foundation day of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at the GM Hall in Imphal, the youngest union minister in the recently formed union ministry of India, stated she represented the whole of North East and not just Meghalaya and she would approach the Union Home Minister of India and the Parliament to repeal the AFSPA, 1958 from the state. Addressing the ceremony as the chief guest, she also assured the people of Manipur the NCP would fight for the repeal of the draconian law. Confirming she represented the whole North East, the young minister asserted the region can draw a lot of benefit for ...

Guwahati, June 17 : With at least 20 migrant workers killed in a series of violent attacks in and around Imphal during the past three months, migrant labourers from Bihar and West Bengal are living in fear in Manipur and some of them have started fleeing the strife-torn state. While three migrant workers were gunned down near the Central Agricultural University on the outskirts of Imphal last Thursday, two Bihari labourers were killed on June 2 — one each in Thoubal and Imphal (East) district. Those killed last week were construction workers engaged by a contractor, while those killed earlier this month included a barber and a hawker. A cobbler, hailing from Bihar, who was attacked at Lamphel in Imphal by an unidentified person on Tuesday evening, has been admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Science in the state capital. On May 12, nine Hindi-speaking migrant workers were killed inside the Keibul Lamjao National Park in Bishnupur district, about 50 km from Imphal. Twelve migr...

Imphal, June 17 : Loktak Lake, which has the only floating wildlife sanctuaries in the world is a gift of nature to the people of Manipur. A three-day Loktak water festival was organised here recently to project and promote Loktak as a major tourist destination. The theme of the festival was ‘Save Loktak, Save Our Life’. This internationally important and biologically-rich lake besides being a unique wintering ground of various migratory waterfowls was the permanent home of many resident water birds. Organised by Loktak Development Authority (LDA) in association with Loktak Lake Fishermen Welfare Society at Thanga Chinglak Bazar, it was a major draw for people of Manipur. Several indigenous water sports like, boat race, swimming, fish-netting, plantation of indigenous Phumdi, fishing Dance were showcased to attract tourists. In April, the security forces of the State had carried out a massive `Operation Summer Storm’ to flush out militants from the Lake area. With the festival, the peo...

Imphal, June 16 : Another non-Manipuri was attacked in Imphal West district last night, as migrant labourers continued to flee the state fearing more violence. Police said an unidentified person hit Prabhu Prasad, a cobbler from Bihar, on his forehead in Lamphel. He was treated at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences. Prasad said the man hit him on the face with a stone while he was returning from work to his rented house in Lamphel, on the outskirts of Imphal town, around 7pm. “He attacked me suddenly and ran away without saying anything.” After the incident, the police brought four migrants staying in Lamphel, including the injured, to the Kalibari relief camp opened by the government for migrants here around 11pm. The other camp is at the local dharamshala. The camps were opened after the attack on six migrants at the Central Agricultural University at Eroisemba in Imphal West on June 11 night. Two gunmen had called out six labourers, all from West Bengal, from their hut on th...

Imphal, June 16 : As in previous years, decks have been cleared for the observance of the Great June Uprising and to pay homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the sake of safeguarding territorial integrity of Manipur at the Kekrupat Memorial complex on June 18 . In all 18 persons lost their lives in the spontaneous public uprising on June 18, 2001 against the extension of the ceasefire without territorial limits signed between the Government of India and Naga rebel group NSCN (I-M). United Committee Manipur (UCM) which came into being to spearhead the public movement has made necessary preparation for organising the 8th anniversary of the June 18, 2001 Uprising at Kekrupat where the mortal remains of the martyrs have been laid to rest on coming Thursday. Talking to mediapersons at Kekrupat Memorial complex, president of UCM and convenor of The Great June Uprising Observation Committee Yumnamcha Dilipkumar informed that as in previous years the State Government has given i...

IMPHAL, June 16 : Two persons, including a woman were seriously injured in a bomb blast on Tuesday at the main entrance of 2 Manipur Rifles here. The remote-controlled bomb, fitted in a scooter, was left near the canteen where liquor was being freely sold. Manipur is a dry State and women’s and various social organisations have been striving for total prohibition. The outlawed underground organisation, the Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council), has claimed responsibility for the blast. It said that security forces were smuggling in Indian Made Foreign Liquor for sale with impunity. “This blast is merely a warning and if the sale is not stopped there will be more attacks,” it said. Police rushed to the canteen after the blast and confiscated hundreds of liquor bottles. Source : The Hindu

Agartala, June 16 : Authorities in the northeastern region have stepped up precautionary measures against the spread of swine flu, besides banning import of pigs and pork products from adjoining countries, officials said on Tuesday. A health official said no case of influenza A(H1N1) infection had been reported in Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura. However, these states have banned import of pigs and pork products. The northeastern states share unfenced borders with Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China. "We are on a maximum alert with our rapid action teams keeping a strict vigil along the international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh and also boundaries with other northeastern states," said C Sangnghina, director of Mizoram's animal husbandry and veterinary department. "We are holding regular review meetings and collecting reports from deputy commissioners on the latest situation," he added. Sale of pork in Mizoram, Tripura, and Manipur has already co...

New Delhi, June 16: Precautionary measures against the Swine Flu virus has been stepped up by authorities in India and Burma along their international boundary, following the positive cases of the disease, which have been detected in India. An official from the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department in Tamu Township of Sagaing Division in northwestern Burma, bordering India’s Manipur State, on Tuesday said, his department and the Health Department had increased vigilance on the Indo-Burma border check gate No (2), after the H1N1/A virus was detected in India. “We put up posters that warned people not to import pigs near border check gate (2)…the Health Department also checked passersby, who went in and out from both countries,” an official from Tamu, which shares the border with Moreh in India, told Mizzima. He said, “We launched a programme to educate the people, distributed pamphlets and checked pig farms and compiled the number of pigs.” However, he assured that there were no re...

DHAKA, June 16 : A Bangladesh parliamentary team will soon visit the site of a controversial hydro-electric dam India plans to build in its northeastern Manipur state that opposition parties and environmental experts say will affect a river system shared by the two countries. India has approved plans for a 1,500 megawatt project at Tipaimukh on the Barak River which flows from the northeast into Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Experts warn that the dam could cause two Bangladeshi rivers -- the Surma and Kushiara in northeastern Sylhet -- to dry up. "It will be another Farakka and cause desertification in eastern Bangladesh," said Badiul Alam Khokan, a leader of the Sylhet Division Development Action Council (SDDAC). India commissioned the Farakka Barrage in 1974 on the Ganges river along Bangladesh's northern border to divert water to the river Hoogly to keep the Kolkata port navigable. As a result, Bangladesh faced severe water shortages during winter ...

New Delhi, June 16 : Suranjoy Singh could have gone the Rennedy Singh way but football's loss turned out to be boxing's gain as the Manipuri pugilist went on to end India's 15-year wait for a gold medal at the Asian Championships. The 22-year-old wanted to make it big as a footballer like his famous state-mate but his elder brother Suranjit - a former boxer himself - motivated him to take up boxing after a frustrating wait to make it to national level football. The transition, however, was not easy as it was initially unacceptable to his family."I was into football and seriously thought of a career in it because the game is huge in Manipur but not getting a national break frustrated me," Suranjoy told PTI. "My brother introduced me to boxing at that point and it was he who made me realise that success in an individual sport would fetch me a lot more recognition and satisfaction. After giving it a thought, I realised that he was right because I would have been...

Imphal, June 16 : A man and a woman were injured when a powerful bomb planted inside a two-wheeler exploded in Imphal, Manipur on Tuesday. Reportedly, it went off in front of the II Manipur Rifles Battalion office around 9.30 in the morning. "I heard the loud sound of explosion and found that there was a bomb blast. One woman receive minor injurious. She is now hospitalised. Investigation has begun, however at the moment we cannot identify the culprit behind the blast," said L. Chandramani Singh, a police inspector, Imphal. Eyewitnesses said that the magnitude of the blast was so great that the scooter inside which the bomb is believed to be planted was dismantled into pieces. Both the injured were rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital where they are undergoing treatment. Further, the splinters tore an iron gate located around 100 yards from the blast site. Following the incident, the security personnel in the state were put on high alert while the general public around the...